Operation: Whiskey
by Levyathyn
Summary: A small team of Coalition soldiers is sent on a seemingly routine mission to investigate a crumbling facility on Jacinto's outskirts. What awaits them along the way is more resistance than they could have dreamed, and a history as deadly as the Locust.
1. Chapter 1

Heavy, booted feet trampled the ground as the Locust drones surged through the crash site. A dozen of the ugly, reptilian beasts scoured the twin Ravens for any sign of life. The smoking wreckage of the large helicopters was spread over the entire street. One of the craft was split entirely open; it's crew of three, dead. The second Raven lay against a tall building, mostly intact. Debris from the crashes was scattered for almost a block. Large, smoking sheets of metal rested in the middle of the barren concrete, pinging as they cooled. On both vehicles nemacyst ink still bubbled. As three of the drones approached the second downed helicopter, a low, mechanical whirring stopped them in their tracks. A minigun, one of two mounted on the sides of each Raven, began to spin up. A pair of hands, rough and a little bloodied, gripped the handles. As the drones lifted their rifles, a barrage of concentrated fire tore them limb from limb. A sniper rifle shot exploded the head of a fourth drone as gunfire opened on the Locusts. After a few seconds, the firing stopped, and Locust blood poured over the ground. Six Coalition soldiers gathered around the wreckage as a seventh climbed out from behind the minigun. Together, the men wore the standard armor of the Coalition COGs; The heavy armor identified with the tough soldiers who wore it. The armour hadn't been in use long enough to lose it's blue sheen. Most bore the Lancer, the Coalition's workhorse; An assault rifle accurate up to medium range, built with an under-barrel chainsaw that gives the Gears an edge in close combat. A grizzled man, scarred from a life of combat, lifts a pair of COG tags from one of the fallen soldiers. His head was bald, and a scar ran from under his lips to cross his right eye. His face was lined with experience, and from the look in his eyes, it had been a bad experience. His name was Paul Gerhart, though many called him Cap. In the Pendulum Wars, Paul had lost his brother and his wife. His daughter, Teresa, kept him going for the time that followed. A pacifist at heart, Paul was haunted by his time spent killing. On emergence day, his daughter was slain by the Locust, since when Paul lost all of his reluctance to fight. Nearby, Eric Valance kneeled, scanning the road with his sniper rifle. Lowering the weapon, he pumped the bolt to slide a round into the chamber. His dark hair was just a little too long. His dark eyes betrayed his history as a combatant. Jace Torren leapt out of the grounded King Raven and grabbed the shotgun off of his back. The Gnasher was a powerful weapon, pumped by a lever-action handle. Jace, a master with the weapon, had short brown hair, with a beard to match. Eric slung his rifle on his back and nodded to Paul.

"Well, Cap. What do we do?" He said.

"Eric, please, don't call me that. I'm not a Captain anymore." Paul said, though without feeling. Even though he was only a sergeant in the Coalition, both Jace and Eric had stuck with him since the old days. His reluctance to lead his men to their deaths, coupled with his tactical intelligence, had led the surviving members of his command to respect him as a leader. He tapped his earpiece, but only static flowed out. "Command? Command, do you read?" Shaking his head, Paul slung his own Lancer onto his back. "Seeders." He told the squad. "They're our top priority. If they don't know we're down here, they can't come and get us. Before we do anything else," he said, raising the tags in his hand, "grab these. I won't give those Locust bastards the satisfaction." Nodding, the remaining men, all privates, dug through the carnage to find them.

"M...Maybe we should look for a Hammer of Dawn, off the Raven." Uh, sir. Said one soldier, once the men had finished. Slowly, a smile grew on Paul's face, like a sunrise after a long, bleak night.

"What's your name, private?" He asked.

"Uh, Davis, sir. Alex Davis. My friends just call me Davis. Sir." The young man said, saluting smartly. His helmet, as new as his armour, hid his face and muffled his voice. He was as green a soldier as Paul had ever seen. His Lancer, gleaming in the morning sun, showed no sign of use. Paul pointed at two of the soldiers he didn't know; One of them was a huge man, taller than Paul. The other one wore a scarf around his neck, and he was deeply tanned.

"You two. Names." Said Paul. The big man grunted.

"They call me Bear. This is Manny." He indicated the second man, obviously a friend.

"Alright Bear, Manny, see if you can find a Hammer." He said. With a nod, Bear turned to the complete wreckage and started towards it. A man named Ryan was sitting on a piece of chopper, a lieutenant Paul knew from their days together in the trenches. Paul waved him over, and nodded towards Eric and Jace.

"Ryan, I want you to head a squad. You take Bear, Manny, and Davis, the new guy. Jace and Eric will stick with me." Ryan, nodding, rubbed his chin. His scruffy blonde hair looked unkempt, and his stubble was in need of a shave.

"Will do, Cap. What's the plan?" Said Ryan. Paul, sighing, shook his head and looked at the sky. Clusters of nemacyst lay spread out over the sky like spilled ink, on a canvas.

"Alright, I'll take Alpha squad through the old hotel." He said, indicating the downed Raven. The crash had torn a large hole through the wall. "You take Bravo and head north, up the road. I want a radio check every fifteen; We don't know how many seeders there are or where, and I don't want to lose anyone out here. If you find anything, signal. Keep your eyes peeled." With a salute, Ryan pulled out his Lancer and whistled. He gathered the rest of the men with a hand signal, and started telling them the plan. With a single nod to his men, Paul climbed over the wreckage of the chopper and into the old hotel. The deserted lobby was once a plush paradise; Hard times had destroyed the hewn stone staircases and littered the marble floor with rubble. A fallen chandelier lay crumpled in the center of the scarred floor. Old bullet holes specked the walls, and a large hole in the ceiling revealed the wooden framework of the old building. A large hole was smashed in the wall opposite the three men. Paul, taking cover behind a wrecked counter, made his way to the opening. Paul reached the hole and aimed his Lancer around the corner as Eric quickly rushed to the other side. Aiming his rifle, Eric covered Jace as he sped out of the hotel. Paul and Eric followed behind him, staying low. The courtyard was empty of trees, and no grass grew on the barren soil. The hotel's rear wing blocked passage to the left, and a pair of double doors stood, boarded up, opposite the men. A fountain decorated the center of the plaza, and to the right, the yard opened to an old road. A sudden low rumbling caused the men to break for cover. Paul and Jace ducked behind the old fountain as Eric rolled into cover behind a low wall. They all recognized the siren song of a Locust hole, and they searched the ground nearby as it grew louder.

"Behind us! In the hotel!" Paul yelled as he leapt over the lip of the fountain to take cover inside it. Jace stood and raced back towards the torn open wall. Eric, leveling his Longshot rifle, popped of a round at the first drone to emerge, popping his head like a balloon. Jace hit the wall hard and lobbed a grenade around the corner. Two more drones climbed out of the hole and were cut into pieces by the explosion. Loose rocks tumbled down the hole as two more drones clambered out. One took cover behind the wreckage of the chandelier as the other rushed forward. Jace leaned around the corner and fired his shotgun, tearing off the drone's leg, as Paul pinned the other one down with Lancer fire. Three drones climbed out of the hole, but another sniper shot sent one tumbling, dead, back down the tunnel. Jace crouched and shot another Locust's leg out from under it, then pumped his shotgun and finished it off with a headshot. Paul covered Jace as he retreated from the building, his Lancer tearing the arm off of one of the drones. Three drones rushed out of the building and took cover behind a set of low concrete blocks. Their Hammerburst rifles tore chunks into the concrete of the old fountain, barely missing Jace as he rolled over the edge and into cover. Eric sighted his rifle into the cold eyes of one drone, but missed as the creature ducked back down. As they reloaded, Paul threw the squad's last grenade behind them, causing the drones to scatter. One rushed up to the fountain and was torn into greasy chunks of meat by Jace's Gnasher. As he levered another shot into place, a second drone butted him in the face with it's Hammerburst. The creature raised the rifle over his head, a sinister smile showing it's teeth. A sudden screaming of a Lancer, and the creature began to jerk wildly as the chainsaw tore through armor, skin, and bone, severing vital organs. The third Locust ran back to the hotel, but a shot from Eric tore into it's back leg. It stumbled and rolled, bloody, into the dust, dropping it's rifle.

Rubbing his face, Jace sauntered over to the frantic beast. It's mad clawing at the dirt was bringing it no closer to the emergence hole. Even as it slowly pulled itself on the ground, the remaining Locust in the hole undercut the tunnel, causing it to crumble into itself and seal. Lifting his heavy boot, Jace stomped the back of it's head, splattering gore across the dry earth. The three men stood up and reloaded their weapons, and set off without a word.


	2. Chapter 2

The road laid open before them, stretched, so it seemed, all the way to hell. The pitted, cracked pavement was worn and faded; No sign of paint showed on it's wreked surface. On either side, the lane was sealed in by a beautiful concrete rail, or at least, a concrete rail that had once been beautiful. The road turned into a bridge, then the bridge turned into a crossroad. The burnt out shells of cars stood watch along the structure, and a few low walls had been built, most likely by the large Locust force that held the city in it's vicelike grip. Behind them, the U-shape of the hotel obscured the crash site from view. The sun patiently waited, high overhead, biding it's time. On the other side of the bridge sat a squat, gray building lined with balconies. As Eric examined the area through he scope, he picked up four Locust and a mounted Troika. The three drones were led by a single grenadier, and no emergence holes were visible. Leading the men forward, slowly, Paul readied the squads last grenade. Eric took aim at the Troika as Jace charged towards the Locust. The grenade looped over Jace's head as Paul tossed it then followed behind, firing his Lancer. Bullets tore through the jaw of one of the drones. A second drone mounted the Troika and aimed at Jace. Sliding into behind sandbags, Jace leveled the weapon over cover and fired blindly, goring a bloody hole into the chest of the third drone. The Troika began to fire, flooding the air with heavy shells, and then was silenced, as Eric's shot blew through the gunner's head, slicing it in two. The grenadier charged Jace's cover and leapt over, rolling and coming up to bear his shotgun. With a grunt, Jace quickly butted the weapon's barrel with his own, sending the Locust's shot wide, then jammed the front of his weapon into his opponent's face. Jace fired and the grenadier's skull exploded out backwards, coating the side of the bridge. Paul rushed in to examine the building. Eric, staying where he was, watched for signs of further combat. Jace, smirking, walked to the building's door, slowly. Eric, zooming in on the second story, noticed movement.

"Guys," He said over the squad's radio. "I've got movement. It looks like a sniper, maybe two, on the second floor. I don't think they see me." Nodding, Paul showed Jace the ok.

"Fire when ready, Eric." As he talked, Paul moved to cover the left side of the door, while Jace covered the right. Eric's shot rang out, signaling the attack. Jace raised one booted foot and kicked the door to hell, then rolled inside and came up blasting. A drone, surprised, fumbled his Hammerburst as Jace's first shot cleaved it in half. Another pair rushed in, guns at the ready, as Paul stepped in behind Jace. Another sniper shot screamed out, and a heavy body fell from the balcony, cracking open on the concrete below. Paul brought down one drone with his Lancer's fire, then grabbed the second as three more opened fire from a nearby room. Shots pinged off of Jace's armor as he took cover behind a crumbling stone pillar. Screaming in rage, Paul fired until his clip was empty. Two drones who had the misfortune of being in the doorway at the time were cut into bloody, meaty chunks. The unfortunate Locust Paul had chosen for cover was similarly shredded by Hammerburst fire before Paul turned his rifle's chainsaw on the creature. Jace charged through the door, surprising the third drone, who was reloading. Swinging his Gnasher to crack the Locust on the head, Jace fired a round into it's chest, hurling it into the wall behind it, where it fell in four pieces. Eric rushed into the room, pistol at the ready, only to find a scene of carnage left for him. Holstering his pistol, he flashed Jace a grin.

"You could have left me some action, guys." He said. Jace, collecting a few shotgun rounds, only smiled.

"Quiet for a minute." Said Paul. "Bravo? Do you read me?" He said, talking into his headset. The voice that came was recognizable, but muffled by static.

"Barely, Alpha, but we read you. Have you found anything?" Said Ryan.

"Negative, Bravo. Just some Locust scum. You?" Replied Paul.

"Negative. Possible seeder, will get back to you, over." Said Ryan.

"Roger. Keep us updated, Bravo. Alpha, out." Said Paul. "You heard him, boys. Let's find us a Hammer." Paul dropped the empty Lancer and knelt by one of the drone's Hammerbursts. The rifles were accurate, and what they lacked in chainsaws, they made up for in firepower. He hefted one and slammed a clip into it, testing the weight. Deciding that, as far as their weapons went, the Locust weren't so bad, he scoured the ground and found what he was looking for. Two of the dead Locust had carried grenades, which he lifted from them. He decided that they wouldn't be needing them. Looking around, he noticed both of his squadmates were missing. He tapped his earpiece.

"Guys, where are you?" He said.

"I'm upstairs, getting some ammo. It's all clear." Came Eric's calm voice.

"Jace?" Asked Paul, after a moment.

"Sarge, I think you'd better come here." Came Jace, sounding worried. "I'm out back." Paul frowned, worried himself. When Jace wasn't joking around, things were serious. He stepped through the open doorway of the building, marvelling at the decoration around him. The walls were tiled red and white where they weren't torn by bullet holes. A few tables remained, here and there, cracked and shattered. A bar stood at the back of the place, near the stairs. The area gave Paul the impression that this had once been a restaurant. The back door had been twisted in and kicked open, and Paul stepped through it. The rear of the building opened onto the city. Tall spires stood, broken and torn, in the distance. An open street lay east to west , with a single road continuing north, following the path of the bridge. Where the three roads merged, a large hole had been dug. Hug gouges in the surface of the street marked the passing of a titan, and the wreckage of a King Raven lay on the opposit side of the hole. The wreckage had been crushed into two pieces, by whatever had come out of the Hollow beneath. Eric walked up behind them, taking in the scene himself. He let out a low whistle.

"Shit." He said. "Sucks to be us." Paul nodded.

"A Corpser. Great." He let out a sigh. "Bravo, come in. Do you copy?" He said.

"Roger." Came the reply. The static on the line was even heavier.

"We found a Corpser tunnel." Paul said. There was a pause on the other end.

"Shit." Ryan said.

"That's what we said." Paul said. He thought for a moment. "Well...I guess we could...no."

"Come again, Alpha?" Came the reply.

"Nothing, Ryan, nothing. Just thinking out loud. We could-" Paul started. He stopped because Eric raised his hands in front of him. In Eric's hands was a Hammer of Dawn. The sleek device had a short barrel, and was only slightly bigger than a pistol, but it's size belied it's power. The weapon sent targeting data to orbiting weapon satellites, with great effect.

"Well, I guess we could hit it with the Hammer of Dawn. Alpha out." Paul took the weapon in his hands, holding it reverentially. A green light on the rear of it was on, indicating the presence of an overhead satellite. His face showed a rare smile, and he slid the weapon onto the magnetic weapon holder on his back.

"Well, boys. I guess we might stand a chance now." He said. "Let's take the straight road, head north and meet up with Bravo team." He said, pointing up the road. The Corpser, a massive beast whose many legs were sharp enough to cut through solid rock, had left scars in the concrete as it walked. The marks, each one three feet long, spread over the entire road, and more than a few marred the ground nearby. The beast had headed north. With a sigh, Eric unslung his rifle.

"Hopefully, just Bravo team." He said with a smirk. Jace cocked his shotgun.


	3. Chapter 3

The sun blazed overhead, a constant reminder of the passage of time.

The three men, tense, alert, and ready for a fight, marched up the road. Jace,

carefree, smiled as he thought back to better days. His casual gait belied his

combat experience. In front strode Paul. His scarred face and gruff demeanor

hid a kind-hearted soul, though you wouldn't have known it from the way he

ran his squad. Walking in the back was Eric, holding his rifle.

"Hey, Sarge." Said Jace. "You uhh...you lose anyone? On E-Day?" He asked.

Paul seemed to contemplate this. The three men had been comrades since the

days of the Pendulum Wars, yet the question had never before been brought

up between them. The boys had been there when enemy soldiers took the life

of Paul's wife and brother. After that, the war had kept them apart for years.

After E-Day, when the Coalition was formed, the men had become Gears, and

had eventually reunited.

"Yeah. I lost...I lost Maggie. On E-Day. Those goddamned grubs came up out

of their holes and they killed my daughter." He said, calmly. For once, even

Jace's good humor was mollified.

"Jeez, man. Sorry. I had no idea." Jace said, shaking his head.

"I lost my wife on E-Day." Said Eric, suddenly speaking. "We had met just four

months before. She was a doctor, working out of Jacinto. She was out of

town for a few days, helping some survivors, when the Locust came." The

three men took a few minutes of quiet, to clear the horrors from their heads.

Ahead of them, about half a mile off, the road opened into a large plaza. The

area was dominated by the presence of a large, flat complex.

"Bravo, come in." Said Paul. "Bravo, come in. State your location. Do you read

me?" But no reply came for quite a while. When it did, Ryan's voice came in

through a sreen of static.

"Copy that, Alpha." Brief bursts of gunfire could be heard through the radio.

"We're pinned down in front of the old Magnus Theater! Can you assist, Alpha?"

"Copy, Bravo." Said Paul. "We are in sight of the building now. Have you verified

a seeder?" There was another, shorter pause.

"Roger that, Alpha." Came Ryan's reply. "Seeder is in the Theater. We-Sh*t!"

There was a loud shot and an explosion. "We're getting spammed by these

nemacyst!" Paul raised a hand and motioned forward, and Alpha squad began

to pick up the speed.

"We are on the way, Bravo. Hang tight, over." Paul said. When he had

finished, he pulled out his Lancer and began to run. A distant column of smoke

to the left of the large theater marked Bravo's location. The men, led by Paul,

charged through the street. On either side of them, abandoned storefronts

and collapses offices gave way to piles of rubble and gouges in the cityscape.

As they ran on, a low rumbling cused them to falter. Eric stumbled and rolled,

coming up with his rifle ready. Behind them, a pair of emergence holes opened,

and drones began to swarm out.

"Grubs!" Yelled Paul, firing his Lancer as he ran on. Hammerburst fire began to

tear past Alpha squad as they retreated. Jace dove behind the wreckage of a

car as shots pinged off of it's rusted frame. Eric took a hit in the shoulder and

dropped his rifle as he tumbled into a small pit in the road. Paul, ducking into a

storefront, brought the Hammer of Dawn to bear.

"Eric!" Yelled Jace. He fired his shotgun as he ran to the hole where Eric had

fallen. Jace jumped down into the three foot deep pit beside him.

"I'm good, man. Just a flesh wound." Shaking it off, Eric lifted his rifle. Jace

looked over the edge of the pit as three small beams converged on a grenadier.

Suddenly, a brilliant, golden beam lit up the sky. The earth shook and the

ground was burned as the satellite streamed energy onto the grenadier. As the

beam materialized, the Locust was disintegrated; Small pieces of it were sent

flying in all directions. The shockwave sent the remaining Locust tumbling. The

few left standing ran for cover as Paul sighted in the Hammer, moving the

beam across their ranks. The attack stopped s quickly as it had happened, and

Alpha squad took the moment to regroup. They quickly took up the pace again,

heading towards Bravo. Shots could still be heard in the distance. Behind them,

Locust rifles began firing again once the drones had recovered from their initial

shock. Ducking low, Alpha squad took to the left side of the road.

As they neared the smoking ruin, Locust could be seen running from cover to

cover, keeping supressive fire on a small building where Bravo squad was holed

up. Every now and then a burst of Troika fire would hammer into the concrete

wall surrounding the place. The doors were sandbagged, turning the building

into a bunker.

"Ryan, we're near your location." Paul said. "What's your situation?"

"Copy, Alpha. Paul, it is good to hear your voice." Said Ryan, clearly. The static

on the line had dropped greatly.

"We'll flank left, you keep them occupied. Is anyone hurt?" Paul responded.

"Negative. The rook had a nasty hit on the leg, but he's fine. Manny! On the left!"

"You heard me, Alpha." Said Paul, turning to Eric and Jace. "Let's do this."

With a nod, the three Gears tracked right, going around the back of a small

building. Turning the corner, Paul aimed his Hammer at the Troika, high on the

roof of the theater. As the beam materialized once again, Eric fired his rifle

into a small crowd of Locust in front of it. Jace fired his shotgun around the

corner, taking a grub by surprise. It writhed on the ground, clutching at it's

missing arm, before he slammed the gun down onto it's face. As the Troika

melted under direct fire from the Hammer, fire began to rain down on Alpha.

Lancer fire from Bravo cut through the Locust, keeping their forces spread thin.

Jace and Paul rushed forward, taking cover behind an old van. Shells from both

above and below hammered into it, sinking into the machine's long-broken

exterior. Three grubs rushed forward and came around the vehicle, trying to

surprise the two seasoned fighters.

Meanwhile, Bravo managed to force their way out of the small building. Ryan

took the lead, spraying Lancer fire at the Locust on the ground. Manny whirled

a grenade around and hurled it into the Locust frontlines as Bear covered him

with a recovered Gnasher. Finally, limping along, came Davis. The front of the

theater had been neatly sliced off, exposing much of the first two floors to

the outside. Fortifications had been set up by the Locust, turning the place

into a heavily defended outpost. Numerous stairs, spreading from the east end

of the building to the west, led up to the high foundation on which the theater

had been built. Taking a defensive position at the bottom of these stairs, Bravo

began to fire supression.

"Fear me!" Yelled Paul as the butt of his Lancer hammered between the drone's

eyes. The skull split, covering Paul's face with a light red mist of Locust blood.

Revving his chainsaw, he cut straight down the chest of the second grub. Jace

dropped his empty shotgun and hit the Locust in front of him with a heavy left

cross, sending it reeling. He grabbed the creature by the armour and heaved it

into the van head-first. Holding it steady, he pounded it's face with two more

rights before letting it drop. He picked up his shotgun and reloaded it, slowly,

as the dazed creture watched him. He pumped the lever and aimed the barrel

at the grub's face, putting a foot on it's shoulder to keep it steady.

"Have a nice day." He said, sincerely, before firing. As more shots hit the van,

Eric rolled into cover beside them.

"Bravo's over there." He said, pointing to the four COG's. "What do we do,

Paul?" He asked. With a sigh, Paul reloaded his Lancer.

"We give 'em hell." He said, cocking the gun. "Same as always."


End file.
